Pause: Why Better Leadership Sometimes Starts by Slowing Down

Pause: Why Better Leadership Sometimes Starts by Slowing Down

Busy calendars. Endless emails. Constant notifications. Competing priorities. Sound familiar?

We live in a business culture that often equates being busy with being productive. But what happens when all that activity gets in the way of doing the work that actually matters?

That's the question explored in Pause: How to Lead Brilliant Work in a Busy World, by Shawn Vanderhoven, with Anne Vanderhoven.

Based on original research involving leaders at more than 150 companies, including Amazon, Google, and LinkedIn, the book challenges conventional thinking about productivity and leadership.

Shawn makes an important point: people don't necessarily underperform because they lack talent or ambition. Sometimes the work environment itself makes it nearly impossible for them to concentrate and produce their best work.

The book offers twelve practical strategies for helping leaders establish clearer priorities, reduce unnecessary distractions, uncover hidden workloads, encourage meaningful conversations, and give their teams the space to do brilliant work.

I find this particularly relevant as businesses navigate the increasing demands of technology and artificial intelligence. We have more tools, more information, and more ways to communicate than ever. Yet having more ways to work doesn't automatically mean we're doing better work.

I'll be welcoming Shawn Vanderhoven to Your Partner In Success Radio on November 20, 2026, and I'm looking forward to discussing the leadership habits that help people move beyond simply staying busy and start accomplishing what matters.

Because sometimes the most productive thing a leader can do is pause.

Learn more about the book: https://www.pausebook.co/